The Blog of David Daehnke, The Gardening Guru

Gardening in Small Spaces

2011-04-08T20:46:53-04:00

Used only with express written permission

Even small spaces can have a big impact in your garden

Having a big garden doesn’t mean that you have a great garden. I have seen many large gardens that are so cluttered with plant material, it makes you feel like you are in a confined space. On the other hand, I have seen balcony gardens tastefully planted, giving the illusion of space in a well defined area. In many cases, more is not always better, especially if time is a constraint. Plants and containers that are properly placed in a small space will do more to accentuate the area, giving the illusion of open expanses. With a balcony, terrace or small patio, getting the most out of the space depends on good design and proper planting. If you are limited with time, a low maintenance approach will probably serve your needs better. Increasing the hardscape materials such as water features, incorporating low maintenance plants and ground covers, will make your limited time in your small garden more enjoyable. If you are an avid plant collector, your direction should be of small, rock garden plants that will be size proportionate to your space. Either way, gardening needs to be an enjoyable past time, not a chore that needs to be taken care of on a weekly basis.

Considerations

When planning your garden, be it small or large, you need to do your homework. All too often we fall into the trap of impulse buying at our local garden or home center, and we come home scratching our heads as to where to plant our flowering beauty. We end up planting our new arrival in a location that is not optimum for the plant, and it ends up in the garbage, dashing our hopes for a spectacular garden. Allot some time periods during a day to see what conditions are in your garden. Is there sun, shade or both, dependent on the time of day? When sitting in your garden, notice not only the space you are in, but also the space surrounding the garden. Is there an air conditioning unit that takes away from your serenity? Is your neighbor’s property unappealing? Sit down and make a list of all these items, then hit the web or your local library to do some research. Successful gardening is more about putting the right plant in the right place than some outlandish gardening philosophy. The most common mistake I have seen in home landscapes is that they have plants that have outgrown the area they were originally planted. A good example is the over planted weeping cherry tree planted within ten feet of the corner of a house. Within five years the tree needs to be removed - a waste of time and money.

Styles

No matter the size of your garden, your taste will influence the design of the garden. There are two major categories, formal and informal. Formal incorporates clean, crisp straight lines and has a sense of order. Gardens such as knot gardens, formal herb gardens, and rose gardens fall into this category. The most well known informal garden is the cottage garden, where the plants are not planted in strict rows, but are instead planted in flowing movements through the garden. This type can also include gardens such as wildlife, woodland and bright beds and borders. No matter what the style of garden you choose, make sure you choose it for yourself. Having a garden that reflects your tastes will only increase your interest and increase your time spent out in the garden.

Focal points

Focal points for the garden are an essential part of the design, no matter what the size of the garden. They can focus your eyes from a less appealing part of your garden to a more favorable one. Examples of focal points include birdbaths, sundials, statues and plants that are more vertical than those surrounding it. An arch or entrance way to your garden is the focal point, telling you where to enter and exit. Last but not least, water features such as small fountains or ponds can be considered double focal points; not only do they draw your eyes, but also your ears with the sound of running water. With these few basic ideas concerning gardening in small spaces, you can begin the process of sculpting a boring or bland space into one of enjoyment and pride.

Please look at my new organic gardening online magazine,Organic Gardens Today. Let me know what you think, and if you like it, make sure you share it with your friends and family. Thank you in advance! Dave

Forcing Shrubs for Interior Color

2011-02-23T20:03:13-05:00

Here in the Northeast we are expecting yet another snow storm, albeit a small one (1 to 3 inches). This winter has been a very contentious one, with more snow than I can remember in my life time of winters. In January we had snow storm after snow storm, and it comes to the point of looking up to the sky and yelling “Okay, I give up. Please let me see the green grass or the early flowers of spring bulbs!” As depressing as this winter has been, there is a surefire way of bringing some color into your life, and that is by forcing some of the early flowering shrubs into bloom in your home.

This is a great time to take cuttings from your shrubs for two reasons: 1) You can see the branching habit of the shrub without being blocked by the leaves and 2) It gets you out of the house, moving around and taking a visual inventory of your plantings. Begin by looking for the dreaded three “D’s” of pruning: Dead, Diseased and Damaged. Unfortunately these first removals are not the ones you want to bring inside for forcing, but when removed, you will have a clearer picture of what can be removed for forcing without leaving the plant lop-sided or with a large hole in it. The length of the pruning cut should be 1 1/3 times the length you are looking to use. Let’s say you have a 12 inch tall vase and you want the stems to stand another 12 inches above the top of the vase. The length of the branch should be around 32 inches, and of course this is not a tape measure deal, but an eye measurement. Even though we are taking cuttings for indoor bloom, keep in mind that your pruning cut should be on an angle just above another bud that faces away from the center of the plant, for the branch to heal properly.

Gather your stems and bring them inside for a quick bath. Remember all of those cold, windy days when you didn’t even want to go outside? They took their toll on the bark of the plants, drying them out. Fill your bathtub with tepid water and allow the stems to lay submersed in the water for 2 to 3 hours. This will help hydrate the stems and buds and to make the stems think that spring has finally arrived. Remove them from the water and give them a new fresh cut approximately 2 inches above your original pruning cut and place them into a bucket or container with no more than 3 to 4 inches of water in it. Store the container of cuttings in your basement or somewhere with limited light exposure. You will need to check the water on a regular basis for level and to make sure the water does not turn green. Depending on the type of plant you have chosen and the closer to spring you are, the cuttings will take anywhere from 1 week to 6 weeks for the buds to swell to the point of blossoming. Patience is a virtue with forcing – the more patient you are, the fuller, more developed the flowers will be. During this time you will need to give the stems new fresh cuts, again on an angle, to help the flow of water through the stem. When the time comes to bring them into your living area, do not place them in direct sunlight or on a radiator or warm surface, as this will shorten the bloom period. Remove any growth or buds that will be at or below the water level to prevent moldy water. Finally, don’t worry about adding a fancy cut flower preservative to the water. Keeping the water fresh and not allowing the water to run out are the two reasons why cut flowers die quickly. If you feel you must add something to the water, mix in a children’s aspirin in the water and you will receive the same effect.

Plant Listing

This list comprises many of the common shrubs that lend themselves for forcing. I have grouped them by their “basement” time, or time from cutting to bloom, and included their flower color.

1 to 2 WEEKS

Forsythia (yellow), Honeysuckle (pink or white), Bridal Wreath Spirea (white), Cornelian Dogwood (yellow), Pussy Willow (buff), Shadblow (white), Spicebush (yellow) and Witchhazel (yellow).

3 to 4 WEEKS

Flowering Almond (pink), Flower Quince (red or orange), Mockorange (white)

4+ WEEKS

Beauty Bush (pink), Deutzia (white), Redtwig Dogwood (white)

Remember the larger the flower bud (plants such as lilacs, wisteria, etc), the longer it will take for the flower to develop, and 9 times out of 10 the flowers will not be as big and beautiful as if they were left on the plant and allowed to develop naturally.

Lastly some of these cuttings will create roots. If you want to create new plants, remove the cuttings from the water when the roots are no more than ¾ of an inch long. Plant them in a soilless potting mix and return to the unheated basement. When the weather begins to change to spring, slowly acclimate the new plants to outside conditions by placing them in a protected, limited light area during the days and return them to the basement at night. After a weeks’ time, they will be ready to remain outside and start developing real roots.

Try this easy way to bring color in your home – you won’t regret it!

CHRISTMAS CACTUS – A HOLIDAY FAVORITE

2010-12-05T12:39:39-05:00

The brightly colored flowers of the Christmas cactus instantly bring warmth during the chilling winter season. When the holiday season is over, it is resting time for the Christmas cactus. Allow it the rest it deserves and prepare it for the next holiday season. These plants are relatively maintenance free, but once you learn its few requirements, you will have a live holiday plant that can be passed down from generation to generation.

Requirements

This plant is tropical in nature and belongs to the zygo-cactus family. Though the name suggests that it originates from the cactus family, its environmental requirements are quite different from the desert cactus. The Christmas cactus is an epiphyte that is a native to Central and South America and it naturally grows in the crook of tree trunks and branches. The organic matter trapped in the cervices of trees provides the required moisture for the growth of the cactus.

Hybridizers have come up with new Christmas cactus varieties, which has resulted in the introduction of three cacti, which are thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas cactus. Care of Christmas cactus has to be taken to ensure that we enjoy the blooms for a long time.

For the Christmas cactus to grow and flourish, optimal growing conditions must be provided. Though the cactus performs well under average home conditions with moderate care, there are various factors that can deter the plant from blooming.

Requirements

1. Water: Being succulent in nature, this plant stores a reasonable amount of water in its leaves. Over watering can shun the growth of the Christmas cactus. The best way to see whether the plant needs watering is to use your finger: If it feels dry, water. If it feels moist, wait a day and check again. Try to avoid a weekly or calendar watering schedule, since you may be watering an already over-watered plant. When watering, set the plant in your kitchen sink and use your spray attachment and wash the leaves while watering the soil. A tepid water temperature will avoid shocking the plant with either too cold or too warm water. Allow the plant to drain completely. If the plant is allowed to sit in the drained water or in a tray for too long (I am talking days, not minutes), the roots tend to decay. During the summer season, ensure that the cactus is watered every 2-3 days, while in the winter months, the need is less and so is water.

2. Light: If the leaves of the cactus have turned red, it simply means that it has been exposed to direct sunlight. The Christmas cactus requires indirect bright sunlight. To promote blooming during the fall, the plant needs less sunlight and 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. In New Jersey I move the cactus outside in spring once the danger of frost has passed, then leave it outside just before the first frost, and under a protected over hang.

3. Temperature: The optimum temperature for growth is between 60 to 70°C. Average to high humidity creates the most favorable conditions. The soil moisture levels can be attained by placing the pot in a tray filled with water and pebbles, making sure that the water level does not reach the bottom of the pot.

4. Fertilizer: Use a liquid houseplant fertilizer (I prefer Schultz 10-15-10 fertilizer + micronutrients, which can be found in most supermarkets and home centers) at half the rate it suggests every 2-3 weeks in the winter. Over use of the fertilizer can burn the roots of the cactus, and remember that during the winter months, the plants are actively growing less than the spring/summer/fall months.

To promote the Christmas cactus to branch out, it is important to prune it. Remove some sections of the stem by using either your fingers or a sharp knife in the spring. To propagate, push the cut sections from your pruning into a 3 inch pot that contains the same soil as the parent cactus. A well drained soil such as an African Violet mix will be perfect. Remember that these are not desert cacti, and potting them into a sandy soil will not work. Ensure that the cut sections have 2-3 joined segments, and push the first section into the soil. The roots will develop in 4-6 weeks.

My Christmas cactus has been a guaranteed bloomer and show stopper every year, and you can have the same success with this maintenance free holiday favorite.

Gardening is for the Birds

2010-11-24T21:13:22-05:00

Even though November is a very busy month as we put our gardens to “sleep” for the winter, now is the time to think of our fine feathered friends who will either pass through on their way south or stay through the winter on our properties. Birds are very beneficial in controlling insects in the garden, and now is the time to encourage them to put your garden on their map.

Setting up a new bird feeding station can be done at any time during the year. Birds are found at birdfeeders virtually at all times of the year, all over the country, though fall is a perfect time to begin feeding the birds. In fall, bird populations and activities are at its peak. Some birds will be stocking up for their long migrations while other birds that will be wintering in your area will scout out for reliable food sources.

Once birds find a food source, water and shelter for the winter season, they will stay in that territory. The birds will most likely seek other food sources in nearby fields or wood areas, but they will always come back to the feeders that first attracted them. Once you set up a bird feeder, continue feeding the birds until spring when natural food sources become abundant again. Personally I fill my feeders regularly from fall to spring, then let the birds find the insects during the growing year, keeping my plants insect free.

The biggest complaint I have heard from people is that bird feeders can be messy, with excess seeds and shells littering the ground around the feeder. During the winter, place an old piece of carpet around the base of the feeder to prevent the accumulation of seed and remove it first thing in spring. If you feed during the growing season, there are many “no waste” seed blends on the market that will reduce the mess while keeping the birds happy.

SEEDS Birds will eat a variety of foods during the winter including seeds. Sunflower seed is the most popular seed offered in bird feeders and are eagerly eaten by most large birds at feeders. Millet seed is the best year-round seed for smaller birds. Thistle seed is a good choice of seed for goldfinches. Try to avoid cheap mixes with fillers such as buckwheat. The higher the quality of the seed, the more likely the birds will be happy and healthy.

GRIT Grit is needed by birds to help grind up food in their gizzard. In areas of the country where winter provides a complete snow-covered landscape, natural forms of grit are hard to find. In these areas of the country, offer grit in the form of crushed eggshells.

FAT In the winter, many birds depend on a high-energy diet. Beef suet is inexpensive and well liked by the birds. Suet can be offered to birds in specialized suet feeders, or on platform / table feeders. Mesh or onion bags also make a great suet feeder. Also there are many varieties of suet on the market today, including berry, peanut, corn, etc.

BREAD Kitchen scraps of breads are well liked by birds. White bread alone should not be the only food source for birds since it has no nutritional value (all parents should know this by now). Remove any uneaten bread from the ground to prevent it from spoiling or attracting unwanted animals.

There is not a better picture in the world than a cardinal standing next to a feeder when the snow is on the ground. When everything in the landscape is covered in white, having a colorful show of birds in your garden can brighten even the longest winter day.

Why Plants Fail to Bloom

2010-05-09T20:25:49-04:00

Flowering plants that don't bloom as promised can be a big disappointment in your garden. Reasons for lack of blooming are as diverse as the palette of plants from which to choose, but a little detective work can usually pinpoint the trouble. The most common factors associated with blooming, or lack thereof, include light, plant age, nutrition, extreme temperatures and improper pruning. Many woody plants must reach a certain age before they are mature enough to produce flowers. Fruit trees, such as apples and pears, can require as many as five or six years to become fruitful. Gingko trees can take up to 15 years to bloom (which could be a good thing!). The most common question I am asked is “Why doesn’t my wisteria bloom?” and the reason is wisteria can take anywhere from 7 to 10 years to bloom, so patience is a must. Add a stressful environment (drought, excessive moisture, etc) to a juvenile plant, and flowering may be delayed even further. Plants that are old enough to flower, or have done so in the past, may quit doing so for a variety of reasons. Flowering may be sparse or completely absent when a plant is under stress, so be sure the plant is positioned in an appropriate location for that particular species. For example, some plants flower best in full sun; others may prefer the cooler conditions found in the shade. Some plants, such as peonies, will flower sparsely or not at all when grown in shade. Similarly, shade-loving plants, such as begonias, will not bloom well in full sun. In gardens where other trees and shrubs are nearby, light conditions can change drastically over time as landscape plants cast more shade, or removal of a large plant suddenly leaves formerly shaded plants exposed. Some plants, such as chrysanthemums and poinsettias, flower in response to short day lengths, or more accurately, long nights. If the plants don't receive the appropriate break from light, their season of bloom will be delayed indefinitely. Overfeeding plants with nitrogen can encourage them to produce lush foliage at the expense of blossoms. A lack of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, also may delay flowering. Stick with a balanced, low-analysis fertilizer, such as 5-10-5 or 10-6-4, to apply adequate nutrition without overdoing. Some gardeners unknowingly remove flower potential from their plants by pruning at the wrong time of year. Landscape plants that bloom in early spring set their flower buds in autumn on last year's growth. If you prune these plants in late winter, you'll also be removing many or all of the flower buds. The rule of thumb is to prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines after blooms have faded. Mother Nature can deal a blow to buds with extreme low winter temperatures or late frosts in spring after growth has begun. Though this past winter was relatively mild, we did have some spring cool-downs at night. And some plants may be winter hardy, but their flower buds are routinely killed, even by normal spring weather.

So if you have landscape plants that are not performing up to par, do your homework to find the appropriate requirements, and plan to replace the "duds" with plants that are better adapted to your growing conditions. Try moving the “duds” to other areas of your property with different soil, light and moisture conditions. You may be pleasantly surprised! Remember to plant the right plant in the right place. This rule of thumb, as simply as it may seem, is one of the most important.

Poinsettia Care After the Holidays

2010-01-16T23:06:14-05:00

Poinsettia, the Christmas plant, is popular in many American homes. With the introduction of long-lasting cultivars, the popularity of the poinsettia has increased significantly. It was introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Robert Poinsett, first U. S. ambassador to Mexico who obtained plants from the wilds of southern Mexico. The common name for the exotic plant, poinsettia, came from his last name. Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Water

Examine the soil daily, and when the surface is dry to the touch, water the soil until it runs freely out the drainage hole in the container. When watering, water at the base of the plant, making sure that some water will run out the drainage hole. If a saucer is used, discard the water that collects in it. Do not leave the plant standing in water. Overly wet soil lacks sufficient air, which results in root injury. A wilted plant may drop its leaves prematurely, so check the soil frequently. Plants exposed to high light and low humidity require more frequent watering. If wilting does occur, immediately water with the recommended amount, and 5 minutes later water again.

Light

If you obtain a poinsettia for your home, place it near a sunny window where it will have the most available sunlight. A window that faces south, east or west is better than one facing north. Do not let any part of the plant touch the cold windowpane because this may injure it.

Temperature

To keep the plant in bloom, maintain it at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F during the daylight hours and, if possible, move it to a cooler place at night. Because root rot disease is more prevalent at temperatures below 60 degrees F, do not put the poinsettia in a room colder than this. Avoid exposing the plant to hot or cold drafts, which may cause premature leaf drop.

Reflowering

Poinsettias can be reflowered the following Christmas, but unless a yearlong schedule of care is observed, the results usually are not good. For such a schedule, continue normal watering of the soil until the first of April, then allow it to dry gradually. Do not let it get so dry at any time that the stems shrivel. Following the drying period, store the plant in a cool (60 degrees F), airy location on its side or upright. In the middle of May, cut the stems back to about 4 inches above the soil, and either replant in a pot 1 to 2 inches larger in diameter or shake old soil off the roots and repot in the same container, using a new soilless mix. Many good commercial potting mixes are available. Choose one that is not very finely textured. Using soil from the garden can introduce disease to the plant. Water the soil thoroughly after potting; wait five minutes and water again. Then put the plant near the window that is exposed to the most sunlight. Keep the plant at a temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F, and water when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch. After new growth appears, fertilize every two weeks with a complete-analysis, water soluble fertilizer at the rate recommended on the label for flowering plants. In early June, leave the plant in the pot, move it outdoors, and place it in a lightly shaded location. Continue watering and fertilizing the plant while it is outdoors. Pinch each stem (remove 1 inch of terminal growth) in early July. Then, between August 15 and September 1, cut or pinch the new stems back, allowing three or four leaves to remain on each shoot. After this second pinch, bring the plant indoors and again place it near a window with a sunny exposure. If the plant is not pinched, it will grow too tall and be unsightly. Keep the plant at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F at night and continue watering and fertilizing. Poinsettias are short-day plants, which means they flower about 10 weeks after the daylight shortens to about 12 hours or less. Therefore, to have the plant in full flower by Christmas, keep it in complete darkness between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. from the first part of October until Thanksgiving. During this period, any kind of light exposure between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. will delay flowering. A closet, opaque box or opaque cloth will keep the plant in darkness during those hours. Remember to put the plant near a sunny window in the daytime. Continue fertilizing the plant until mid-December.

Various reports over the years have led the general public to believe poinsettias are toxic to humans; however, this has not been authenticated.

Houseplant Care

2010-01-16T16:15:22-05:00

For beginners, lets’ begin by saying that a home is not perfect growing conditions for most plants. The term house plant is actually a false term – there are no plants that I know of that natural are found growing in a home. Most are grown in tropical locations where sun light, humidity and nutrients are high and the plants thrive. When they are grown for sale to you, the homeowner, they are grown is the same conditions in the greenhouse – plenty of sunlight, humidity and nutrients. Now unfortunately most homes are not ideal growing conditions, especially at this time of year. As we all know, the amount of light and the duration is dramatically low, the humidity in our homes is low from the heating equipment, and sometimes we forget that the soil that our plants grow in needs to be changed about once a year to keep it fresh and free from mineral deposits from watering. In all truth, our homes are closer to being the Gobi Desert than a tropical paradise. There are ways to overcome these obstacles to keep those plants looking a fresh and full as the day you purchased them. If you add supplemental lighting for your plants and put the lights on a timer to be on for 11 to 13 hours, you will notice a dramatic improvement. Supplemental lighting does not need to be expensive. One of the most inexpensive ways of adding light is to head to your local home center and purchase a 4 foot fluorescent fixture (which is around $10). Do not purchase the fancy Grow Lights at $7 + per bulb. Just purchase one cool white and one warm light bulb. By using both of these bulbs, you will be adding close to the full spectrum of light at about ½ the price, and from my own experience, does just as good a job. If the plants are in a living space and you do not want to hang 4 foot fluorescent fixtures in your living room, just change the bulbs in your current light fixtures to full spectrum bulbs, and again try to leave them on for 11 to 13 hours per day. There are a couple ways to increase the humidity. Adding a humidifier to your living space will not only improve the plants health, but also your own. In our case we end up drying like a prune in the winter, as well as hacking because of the dryness. Adding humidity will keep our skin soft and our lungs lubricated. For plants, humidity is an additional way for them to uptake moisture. Leaves not only produce chlorophyll, but on the bottom sides have cells which open and close to exchange moisture, CO2 and oxygen. The simplest way of adding humidity to the area directly around your plant is to purchase a saucer or tray for underneath the pot. Fill the saucer with gravel and fill with water, then place the pot on top of the gravel. Make sure that they pot is not sitting in the water, but instead on the gravel. You do not want the plant to have wet feet, possibly creating root rot or fungus. For nutrients, since the plant is not actively growing during the winter, using a houseplant fertilizer that has balanced nutrients at ½ the suggested rate will be fine. I like using Schulz’s house plant food simply because it is balance and the container is smaller than most, saving on space. Watering is another concern during the winter. Again since the plant is not actively growing, most waterings will last longer than in the spring, summer or fall. Try to stay away from the “weekly” watering schedule and use your finger to be the judge. If the soil feels moist, don’t water - dry, water. It is that simple. Also a great way to deal with several of these problems is to put the plant in the shower with tepid water. This will also take care of cleaning the leaves of the dust that can accumulate during the winter. Just let the plant sit in the tub for one hour to full drain, then move on to the next. In general, these quick tips will keep your houseplant healthy and lush through the winter.